RICHARD’S POV
I stood in the shower, the hot water pounding against my skin, but it did nothing to wash away the memories.
Elder Leo’s face.
His smug smile.
The way he’d looked at Amy like she was nothing more than a pretty plaything.
The way he’d mentioned her, his daughter.
The woman who had rejected and humiliated me, who had made me feel like less than nothing and scared me deeply that I hadn’t been able to heal completely.
‘My daughter sends her congratulations.’
The words echoed in my head, twisting the knife deeper.
Even after all these years, she still found ways to haunt me.
She had moved on, married someone else, probably had a perfect life with a perfect family.
And I was still here, still carrying the scars she’d left behind.
I slammed my fist against the tile, the pain grounding me.
Why can’t I let it go?
I thought bitterly.
Why does she still have this hold over me?
Because she had been my fated mate.
The one person who was supposed to complete me and she had looked at me like I was garbage.
She and her family had humiliated me in the worst possible way.
I turned off the shower and stepped out, not bothering to dry off.
I walked back into my bedroom, collapsing onto the bed in just my pants.
I stared up at the ceiling, my body tense, my mind racing.
I knew I wouldn’t sleep.
I never did on nights like this.
The nightmares would come—the dreams where I was eighteen again, begging her to give me a chance, and her laughing in my face.
I was supposed to make tonight special for Amy, I thought, guilt twisting in my chest.
I was supposed to make her feel wanted and desired.
It was her wedding night, contract or not.
Instead, I sent her to her room like she was nothing.
But I couldn’t be what she needed tonight.
Not with Her still haunting me.
I closed my eyes, trying to force myself to relax.
The image of Amy’s disappointed face flashed behind my eyelids, and I felt a fresh wave of guilt.
Tomorrow, I promised myself.
Tomorrow, I’ll make it up to her.
***********
A loud crash jolted me awake.
I sat up, my senses on high alert.
Another crash, followed by shouting.
I was on my feet in an instant, my wolf surging to the surface.
I strode out of my room, my body tense and ready for a fight.
Amy was already in the hallway, her robe wrapped around her, her eyes wide with confusion.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
I shook my head.
“I don’t know. Stay behind me.”
I headed downstairs, Amy following close behind.
The moment I reached the foyer, I saw the chaos. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Derek was there, drunk and raging, swinging a shattered bottle at the butler.
The housekeeper was cowering in the corner, her hands over her mouth.
Glass was everywhere, glittering like deadly stars on the marble floor.
“ENOUGH!” I roared, my Alpha voice echoing through the hall.
Derek froze, his head snapping toward Amy.
“AMY!
There you are.
My beautiful, treacherous little mate!”
“Derek, what the hell are you doing here?” she demanded.
“I’m here to celebrate my mate’s wedding to my bastard uncle!”
I stepped forward.
“Derek, you need to leave. Now,” I said in a cold and commanding voice.
“Or what?” Derek laughed, the sound hollow and bitter.
“You’ll throw me out?
You’ll humiliate me?
You’ve already done that, Uncle.
You’ve already taken my mate from me.”
“I took nothing from you,” I said flatly.
His stupidness and disloyalty was what pushed Amy to my arms.
Derek’s eyes snapped to Amy again, blazing with fury.
“You!
This is all your fault!
You were supposed to be mine!
You were supposed to love me!”
“I did love you, Derek.
But you destroyed that when you cheated on me.
You have no one to blame but yourself,” she defended herself.
He let out a roar of frustration, hurling the whiskey bottle against the wall.
It shattered, glass and amber liquid spraying everywhere.
Amy flinched and stepped back in fear.
But I moved faster, grabbing Derek by the collar and shoving him against the wall.
“You’re going to leave,” I growled in anger.
“And you’re never going to come near my wife again. Do you understand me?”
Derek laughed again like a maniac.
“Your wife? She’s my mate! She’ll always be my mate! You can’t change that, no matter how many rings you put on her finger!” he shouted in my face as he shoved me back.
His eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted with fury.
His eyes glowed red and his body began to shift, bones cracking and reforming, fur sprouting across his skin.
In seconds, he was a massive grey wolf, snarling and drooling, his eyes locked on me with murderous intent.
He lunged at me
I shoved Amy out of the way, sending her stumbling behind the staircase.
Then I met Derek’s attack head-on.
His jaws snapped at my throat, but I dodged, rolling to the side and coming up in a crouch.
My own wolf surged forward, fury and pain and rage boiling over.
I shifted in an instant, my massive black wolf taking over.
I was larger than Derek, more powerful, more experienced.
But more than that, I was angry.
Every insult from Elder Leo.
Every memory of Her rejection.
Every moment of humiliation I’d endured at the hands of this spoiled, entitled brat and his family.
Derek charged again, and I met him head-on.
We collided with a sickening thud, claws and teeth tearing at each other.
I was faster, stronger, and I didn’t hold back.
I pinned him to the ground, my jaws around his throat.
He struggled beneath me, whimpering and snapping, but he was no match for me.
I raised my claw, ready to strike the final blow.
To end this pathetic excuse for a wolf once and for all.
“Richard, stop! You’re going to kill him!”
I froze.
Her voice, sharp and desperate, cut through the red haze of my rage.
I looked up, my wolf’s eyes meeting hers.
She was standing by the staircase, her face pale, her hands trembling.
She was terrified, not of Derek, but of me.
My grip loosened and my wolf receded, the rage slowly ebbing away.
Derek scrambled out from under me, shifting back into his human form.
He was bleeding, bruised, gasping for breath.
He looked up at me with a mixture of fear and hatred.
“Get out,” I said through the mindlink.
“Before I change my mind and end you for good.”
Derek stumbled to his feet, clutching his bleeding arm.
He shot one last look at Amy; a look of pure venom, then limped out of the mansion, disappearing into the night.
The door slammed shut behind him.
Slowly, I shifted back, the change leaving me drained and shaking.
I stood there, naked and panting, my body still vibrating with adrenaline
I turned to Amy.
She was still standing by the staircase, her eyes wide, her body trembling.
“Amy,” I said, my voice hoarse.
“I—”
She rushed toward me, her arms wrapping around me.
She was crying, her tears soaking into my chest.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice muffled against my skin.
I blinked, stunned by the question.
She was worried about me.
After everything she’d just witnessed, she was worried about me.
“I’m fine,” I said slowly.
“Amy, you shouldn’t be—”
“Don’t,” she cut me off, pulling back to look at me.
“Don’t tell me not to care. You were going to kill him. You were so angry, and I—” She shook her head.
“I couldn’t let you do that. Not because of him.”
I stared at her, my heart pounding.
She had stopped me.
She had pulled me back from the edge.
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
“You were right. He wasn’t worth it.”
She nodded, wiping at her eyes.
“I know. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared.”
I reached out, cupping her face in my hands.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost control like that.”
Her eyes met mine, and I saw something flicker there.
Something that made my heart race.
Without thinking, my hand went to the back of her head as I connected my lips to hers in a searing kiss.